Minnesota's Rodney Williams dunks during the second half of the Gophers' game against Southern California in December. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Rodney Williams is a core member of a University of Minnesota men's basketball team that is 15-1 and ranked eighth in the nation. The senior forward leads the Gophers in minutes per game (28.8) and is second in scoring (12.6), rebounding (5.9), blocks (1.4) and shooting percentage (54.7). If the Gophers beat fifth-ranked Indiana on Saturday, Jan. 12, it's likely Williams will have had a say in the outcome.

I talked to Williams on Friday about the success he and the Gophers are having.

BS: Fans and members of the media are saying they'll have a better idea of just how good the Gophers are after you play Indiana and Michigan (on Jan. 17). Do you already know how good you are and how good you can be?

RW: Oh, yeah. We definitely know the potential of this team. We knew after the run we made last year in the NIT. We just want to come out and prove it to everybody.

BS: How much better is this team than when it lost to top-ranked Duke (Nov. 22)?

RW: It's a lot better. We're a lot more confident. We're playing more together. I think that Duke game was a lot of nerves. We were playing a team that, when you see that name "Duke" on the jersey, there are a lot of feelings that go into that game. We made a few more mistakes than usual. We're more confident, and we know if we played them again, the outcome could be different.

BS: Are you getting to the point that when teams see "Minnesota" on your jersey, they will feel the way you felt about Duke?

RW: Oh, yeah, definitely.

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That's what we want to do to teams. We want to make them fear that name on the jersey.

BS: What can you still do to be better as a team?

RW: Get out in transition and cut down the opposition's rebounds. Our best offense is transition, and there are a lot of times in games we're not running and getting on the open floor. We can definitely do that better.

BS: What can you still do to be better as a player?

RW: Make myself more available. Not stand so much on offense. And I've got to hit the boards a lot harder, as well.

BS: Do you have to be careful not to get caught up in the hype of being 15-1 and ranked eighth overall?

RW: We're not. We're coming to practice every day like we're unranked. We're ready for anything. We're not going to get caught in the hype.

BS: Is one of the beauties of this team that opponents can try shutting down one of the starters but any one of you can step up and take over a game?

RW: Oh, yeah, that's definitely a beauty, where you have so many guys who can put the ball in the hole. You don't have to rely on one person. That's always hard for another team to guard. We're loving it right now.

BS: When you put together your goals before the start of the season, did it include the Big Ten title and national championship, or did you aim lower -- like maybe top three in the Big Ten and the Sweet Sixteen?

RW: No. The first goal always was to win the Big Ten championship. And then to get into the NCAA tournament and make some noise. In that tournament, you never know what's going to happen. You can get a team that you don't expect to lose to, and then lose. We just want to get into the tournament and keep playing our game.

BS: What is it like to know that, barring a catastrophe, you're already a lock for the NCAA tournament and you won't have to go right down to the end wondering if you've got a shot?

RW: That does feel good. In past years, we had to sweat it out. My freshman year, we ended up getting in there but the past two years we were on the bubble and didn't end up making it. For people to say we're already a lock for the tournament is a good feeling, but we've got to keep it rolling.

BS: Has (coach) Tubby (Smith) changed now that he's the coach of a 15-1 team and you're not scrapping and clawing like in past seasons?

RW: He's not too much different. But you know, there's a lot less stress on him. He's not yelling as much. Other than that, he's the same old coach.